[Quack Attack]

USC may be down, but it's not out



by Billy Witz, Special to FOXSports.com

Updated: August 20, 2009, 3:10 PM EDT

For the rest of the Pac-10, which has spent nearly a decade looking up at USC, there were a couple of encouraging signs when the Trojans went through their most game-like scrimmage of training camp Monday night under the lights at the Coliseum.

One was Aaron Corp, a third-year sophomore who looked as if he would provide a steady hand at quarterback, standing on the sideline, his hands in his pockets and his left leg in a brace to support a cracked fibula.


The other was freshman quarterback Matt Barkley looking like one, often tap dancing in the pocket and patting the ball, as unsure of where to go with it as any freshman searching for classes on the first day of school.
With Mark Sanchez's unexpected departure, the Trojans' celebrated linebacker corps all headed to the NFL, and with new coordinators to break in, there seems to be a sense that the Trojans, who have won seven consecutive Pac-10 championships, are as vulnerable as they've been in a while.

The two teams expected to mount the toughest challenge, Oregon and California, get the Trojans at home — as do Ohio State and Notre Dame. All those games — as well as a home date with Oregon State — are in the first two months, which is when USC most often stumbles. Once the Trojans get past Halloween, good luck getting past them. Since 2002, they are 35-2 when the calendar hits November.

Of course, any seeds of doubt have not taken root around USC.
"That's the media's job to say that," said receiver David Ausberry, a fourth-year junior. "Whatever. People know when they come at USC, they're going to see what we're about. We're not worried about that at all."

Or as USC coach Pete Carroll said: "We've always had issues and questions. You just deal with them, fix the problems."

2009 schedule

9/5 San Jose State
9/12 at Ohio State
9/19 at Washington
9/26 Washington State
10/3 at California
10/10 OPEN DATE
10/17 at Notre Dame
10/24 Oregon State
10/31 at Oregon
11/7 at Arizona State
11/14 Stanford
11/21 OPEN DATE
11/28 UCLA
12/5 Arizona

So it was Monday — and not just at quarterback. Center Kris O'Dowd, perhaps the best player on an offense that returns nine starters, dislocated his kneecap. It turned out to be a clean dislocation, similar to the one Sanchez suffered last August, so he will not require surgery and should be able to return within three weeks.

But if O'Dowd needs longer, the Trojans should not suffer terribly. Into his place goes Alex Parsons, a senior who started 10 games at guard last year but was slated to be a backup this season. Likewise, at quarterback, there are options. The best quarterback on the field Monday was Mitch Mustain, who had fallen behind Corp and Barkley in the spring. But if Carroll has to turn to him at Ohio State in a little over three weeks, it will not be a new experience for Mustain. As a freshman at Arkansas in 2006, he was 8-0 as a starter.

"Mitch has really come to life right now, which is most important for us," Carroll said. Not that Carroll seemed too discouraged with Barkley. If it seemed reasonable to wonder how Barkley might do on stages that were not empty, save for a few thousand fans and where music was not piped in to simulate crowd noise, Carroll preached patience.

"Fortunately, we have a few weeks left," he said of Barkley's preparedness to start. "This is 11 days old right now. As a freshman, it's extraordinary to be where he is. We'll just see how it goes — keep evaluating and figuring it out and helping him every way we can."

More on USC

The reality is that the Trojans don't need a quarterback to win games but instead, to manage them. The offensive line, both in depth and quality, is what will carry USC. There is the usual rotation at tailback, likely to feature Stafon Johnson and the speedy Joe McKnight, and an experienced group of receivers that also includes a quality safety valve in fullback Stanley Havili. And the new play caller, Jeremy Bates, is no greenhorn either — he spent last season calling plays for Mike Shanahan in Denver.
For all the attention on that side of the ball, what it usually comes down to for the Trojans is defense.

The linebackers may be mostly anonymous, but if man in the middle Chris Galippo isn't covered with tattoos — or making ball carriers cover their eyes — like Rey Maualuga, then at least he will be right where he needs to be all the time. The defensive line will also be green, but the secondary — featuring safety Taylor Mays — may be the best that Carroll has had at USC.

And that may sum up the state of the Trojans nicely. All things, including their reign on the Pac-10, may come to pass, but as opposing quarterbacks may discover, it won't be easy.